50 Greatest Angels: 40-31

In voting for the 50 greatest Angels ever, there were a number of factors that someone on our panel had to account for.

With the pitchers, people looked at things like innings pitched, ERA, strikeouts and complete games. With the hitters, it was about batting average, on base percentage, home runs and stolen bases.

For the voters who saw guys like Fred Lynn or Bobby Knoop play, they can make judgments based on what they saw – things that might go beyond the numbers.

In trying to figure out where I'd vote Torii Hunter, I considered something else too.

Throughout the trials that faced the 2010 Angels, one player more than any other stood in front of his locker and answered question after question about why the team he was playing for couldn't break through and climb back to the top of the division.

He didn't necessarily like doing it; you could tell. But Hunter did what someone in that room needed to do. He stepped up and spoke for his teammates – many of whom were too stung by losing to do themselves.

In the context of a losing clubhouse, that's how Hunter was great last season. It wasn't the switch to right field; it wasn't the home runs or the highlight catches.

Hunter cemented his place on this list, in my mind, by being accountable – and by doing his best to protect his teammates from the same endless questions.

Like Hunter, so many names on this list helped the Angels in ways numbers can't show.

NOTE: The greatest Angels could be players, coaches, front office personnel or announcers who spent at least three seasons with the team.

The panel of voters was eclectic. Members of the Register's baseball staff and columnists were joined by prominent Angels' website administrators, a member of the Angels front office, a radio personality and a few Angels' bloggers.